NIH Announces the Availability of Recovery Act Funds for Administrative Supplements Providing Summer Research Experiences for Students and Science Educators | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is NIH Notice NOT-OD-09-060?

NOT-OD-09-060 is an NIH funding notice (posted March 18, 2009) announcing the availability of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds to support administrative supplements to already-active NIH awards.

What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The purpose is to quickly inject short-term ARRA resources into existing, peer-reviewed NIH-funded research projects to promote job creation and economic development while accelerating progress on health-related research NIH already supports.

Is this a new, stand-alone grant program?

No. The notice describes using the administrative supplement mechanism rather than creating a new stand-alone grant program, allowing funded laboratories to add personnel and activities rapidly with minimal disruption to the parent project.

What does it mean that the funding is an "administrative supplement"?

An administrative supplement is additional funding that attaches to an existing NIH award. Under this notice, the supplement is intended to expand or enhance the active project in ways that remain consistent with the parent award's scope and goals.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to investigators and U.S. institutions or organizations that already hold active NIH Research Grants and related mechanisms, including research program and center grants and cooperative agreements.

Do the types of organizations listed automatically qualify?

No. While the notice lists many organization types (for example, state and local governments, higher education institutions, nonprofits, small businesses, for-profit entities, tribal governments and organizations, independent school districts, housing authorities, and others), the practical requirement is that the applicant must have an active NIH award that can receive an administrative supplement.

Can different NIH Institutes or Centers have additional eligibility rules?

Yes. The notice points applicants to Institute and Center-specific eligibility details on NIH websites, indicating that different NIH components may apply their own conditions or priorities.

What activities are emphasized in the notice?

A central emphasis is support for summer research experiences, including short-term, hands-on research placements for students in NIH-supported laboratories, and research experiences for science educators.

What is the goal of the summer research experiences for students?

The goal is to help develop the future biomedical workforce by providing students with short-term, hands-on research experiences that encourage serious pursuit of careers in health-related science.

Which educators are specifically mentioned as potential participants?

The notice emphasizes research experiences for science educators including elementary, middle school, and high school teachers, as well as community college faculty and faculty from institutions that are not research-intensive.

Why does NIH emphasize research experiences for educators?

The stated goal is to give educators authentic laboratory experience they can take back to their classrooms and institutions, strengthening science teaching and building longer-term interest in biomedical research among students.

Do proposed summer experience activities have to relate to the existing NIH-funded project?

Yes. Because supplements attach to an existing award, proposed summer experience activities must make sense within the scope and goals of the active NIH-funded project.

How does comparative effectiveness research (CER) relate to this opportunity?

The notice highlights that some supplements might be supported using ARRA funds set aside for comparative effectiveness research (CER), as long as the proposed work fits NIH's definition of CER.

How does NIH define comparative effectiveness research (CER) in this notice?

Under the definition described, CER involves rigorous evaluation of how different available options for treating a given medical condition perform for a particular set of patients. Comparisons can be between similar interventions (such as competing drugs) or different approaches (such as surgery versus drug therapy).

What kinds of CER-related activities are mentioned as potentially relevant?

The notice indicates relevant CER work could include building and using clinical registries, clinical data networks, and other electronic health data resources that can generate outcomes data applicable to CER analyses.

What would make a supplement "aligned with CER priorities" based on the notice?

Based on the notice, a supplement could potentially align with CER priorities if it adds analyses, infrastructure, or data capabilities that enable credible treatment comparisons and real-world outcomes measurement, consistent with NIH's CER definition.

How large was NIH expecting ARRA administrative supplement activity to be across related notices?

The announcement is described as one of three NIH ARRA administrative supplement or competitive revision notices, with NIH projecting that roughly 1 billion dollars in ARRA funding would be obligated by September 30, 2010 across those related notices (including any reissued versions).

Are submissions limited to specific scientific areas?

The notice encourages submissions across all NIH scientific and programmatic areas, but the supplement must attach to an active award and remain consistent with the existing project.

What application forms were used for these supplement requests?

NIH indicated that supplement applications used the paper PHS 398 forms (the standard NIH paper application package at the time).

Was there a single deadline for applications?

No. The opportunity used multiple submission dates rather than a single fixed deadline, with applicants directed to the full announcement for date-specific instructions.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The notice states that cost sharing or matching is not required.

How long could support be requested?

Support could be requested for up to two years for qualified grants, providing flexibility to run more than one summer cohort or a short sequence of training experiences.

What outcomes was NIH targeting with this ARRA supplement approach?

The notice frames this as a fast-moving ARRA stimulus mechanism intended to expand active NIH projects, hire or support additional personnel, and create paid or structured summer research experiences. Immediate outcomes include near-term jobs and faster research progress, while longer-term outcomes include stronger pipelines into health research careers and better-connected, better-equipped science educators.

Why did NIH choose the administrative supplement mechanism for ARRA funding?

As described, NIH used administrative supplements to quickly add resources to existing, peer-reviewed projects so laboratories could add personnel and activities rapidly, with minimal disruption to the parent project.